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Friday, November 15, 2013

Nouveau Peacock Pumpkin

Noveau Peacock Lit

Woo! I did it, I completed my first carving for this year; the Nouvea Peacock Pumpkin. I mentioned about the stencil in this post Pumpkin Stencils and surprised myself when I actually started and completed the project.

Above is the final lit image, had to edit the lighting and color just a bit, since the camera picked up on the light and appeared florescent pink instead of orange.

Final carving without light

The final carving without light looks good on its own, and still remains a surprise, being that I didn't know how well this pumpkin would turn out.

Details on carving process:

First I took my paper stencil and had to crinkle it over the rounded surface, then I pinned it in place with thumb tacks.

Next step was to poke holes along the design (did this on the 13'th); I used a pokey tool, and a small pumpkin carving tool to do this. I found the pokey tool takes a little more time, but is superior in results, and provides a very clear outline when finished. At first I started off with a pin, but found the pokey tool is much better to use to prevent hand cramping.

It took me a total of three hours just to apply the design onto my surface.

My recommendation for complex pumpkin designs is to do outline transfer one day, and start carving the next day, to provide room for relaxation.

On the 14'th I started the carving process; it took me a total of six hours to complete, and resulted with a neck cramp and tight shoulders (chocolate is much needed after a long session of strenuous slouching and constant standing.) :P I was unable to sit down since I had to be over my pumpkin in order to see what I was doing.

I started my carving every outline with a wood carving knife, then I took the smallest scoop tool and carved out the sections which needed to be exposed. My final results were incredible in my eyes, and this project made me feel I can do more complex things than I thought.

Important detail. Why did I start this pumpkin is such a hurry? Truth is, the pumpkin had a rotten spot forming near its back side which was starting to look like the death star. I decided that I would cut the rotten spot out and the whole would be my spot for gutting the pumpkin and adding a candle.

When I brought the knife to the rotten spot, it sunk in and cut out like butter. The whole piece came out in one smooth slice, and smelled....kind of bad. Had this little white mold spot where it all started, and the surrounding rotten part was kind of a poopy, green brown color.

Gutting it was easy, I just put on a pair of dish gloves and yanked out the seeds, then carved the walls a little with an ice cream scoop. The flesh on the inside was actually pretty solid and fresh still.

I cut my whole out and gutted the pumpkin on the 13'th, the same day I applied my design.

I covered the hole with plastic wrap for the night, and next day I found a ring of white mold growing around the hole's edge......eeeewww.

Left image is a slight close up of what this looked like; you can see the white fuzz growing around the edges. It smelled awful, but I dealt with it till I finished taking pictures, and then put the rotting masterpiece outside in the cold.

That's the story and process of my Nouveau Peacock pumpkin. Been wanting to do it since last year, and finally managed to cross it off the list; I'm happy about it.

I found myself questioning, "Am I crazy for starting something like this?" I've noticed I ask myself that question often when I start something complex and time consuming; but in the end I find all that hard work feels pretty satisfying once you reach the finish line.

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About Me

I'm a mixed medium/multimedia artist with a driven passion to create. I love drinking coffee, the most needed brain fuel for creativity, and my interests extend in many directions... continued in ABOUT ME profile.

Behind the Name

A little back story to the name Pearllight Studio; Pearllight is my code name and applies to my dimensional fantasy figure who travels the universe in her fancy robotic suit, writing stories and making every moment of her travels peppy and care free, with a drop of cynical humor. You can find more content about my code name and character on Bionicfusion.